'A Chorus Line' Takes The Show On The Road

Now-classic Piece Has Original Star Directing

If "A Chorus Line" was created today, there's a good chance the show would not make it to Broadway.

The big-budget revivals and techno-driven musicals that inhabit Broadway today are worlds away from a stripped-down production about a group of unknown dancers auditioning for a show.

But in 1975, producers were more willing to take a chance on a different product. "A Chorus Line" opened on Broadway on July 25, 1975, and proved a runaway hit. It logged 6,137 performances before closing on April 28, 1990. Since then, numerous touring productions have been launched, with the latest one arriving Tuesday to Chrysler Hall.

Though the show now qualifies as a period piece like "Show Boat" or "Oklahoma!" it still delivers a fresh message. Against a bare stage, a group of performers spill out their childhood memories, a few quite painful, and ponder their future in the business. The scenario is relived every day as young people flock to New York City for a chance to make it big on Broadway.

"It still resonates today because people can relate to those characters," says Baayork Lee, who directed the current touring production.

Lee credits "A Chorus Line" with launching her second career as a director of musicals and operas. She grew up in New York City and at age 5, appeared on Broadway in "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner. She originated the role of Connie in "A Chorus Line" and rose to become assistant director to Michael Bennett, one of Broadway's legendary choreographers and the show's creator. As the popularity of "A Chorus Line" spawned other productions here and abroad, Bennett tapped Lee to direct some of them.

In the 1970s, when it was difficult for women to get directing jobs, Lee says she was "blessed that he let me take over for him." She put together this current show, which opened in Atlanta July 10 and will tour for 13 weeks.

"A Chorus Line" rings true because its script draws from the actual experiences of a group of 22 dancers whom Bennett gathered together one night in 1974. During a marathon session that Bennett taped, the dancers talked about their family backgrounds and their dreams of becoming a dancer. Their stories range from one boy who followed his sister to dance class to a girl who was ridiculed by her high school drama teacher and swore she'd prove him wrong.

The dancers also unburdened their fears about being rejected in an audition and about growing older in a business that focuses on youth and stamina. Many of the concerns emerged in the show in the character of Cassie, an older dancer who's competing for a spot in the chorus line.

Lee was among that original group that Bennett convened.

"People started talking about their childhood stories, which were amazing," she says. "We did two workshops, which had never existed before. Dancers contributed choreography and dialogue and participated in the development of the workshop."

Another declaration to come out of the sessions was that dancers deserve more respect and recognition for the contribution they make to a Broadway show, she says.

"Dancers are always on the lowest rung of the ladder," she says. "We're the lowest paid. We're asked to do the most and stay the longest."

"One (Singular Sensation)," the show's signature song, is an eloquent tribute to the unique contribution each individual brings to a production.

Bennett took the raw tapes and fashioned a script with writer Nicholas Dante. The script was shown to producer Joseph Papp, who provided the money and the space for the workshops. Marvin Hamlisch wrote the music with Edward Kleban as lyricist.

Broadway audiences were stunned when "A Chorus Line" opened in 1975. The show won nine Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize and numerous other awards.

Lee stayed with "A Chorus Line" for three years before branching out as a director. Though she frequently works with opera companies from Rome to Washington, D.C., she also directs musicals and likes to return to "A Chorus Line" through the years.

"I've been all over the world, and the response is the same," she says. "The show is about dancers who love doing what they're doing. That's what the song, 'What I Did For Love,' is all about."